Battery life is the amount of time a battery-powered device (e.g., a portable communication device) operates before its battery needs to be recharged or replaced. Due to the growing dependence on battery-powered devices, battery life has become an important customer requirement and product differentiator. Recently, efforts to improve battery life have included gathering data from different battery modules of the portable communication device (e.g., a two-way radio, a mobile telephone and the like). This allows the portable communication device to make intelligent decisions based on battery information, providing a more sophisticated battery management system for the portable communication device.
Many portable communication devices today are utilized in conjunction with different types of accessories of different complexities. The accessories include simple (or passive) accessories, smart (or active) accessories, and battery powered accessories. A simple accessory comprises a passive accessory with audio capabilities (e.g., a remote speaker, a remote microphone and/or a remote Push-To-Talk (“PTT”) button) and/or emergency/user interface indications. The simple accessory does not require power from the portable communication device, but may require audio configuration from the portable communication device (e.g., specific filtering, amplification, etc.). A smart accessory comprises an active accessory with a processor, a data bus and an audio component. The smart accessory may include a display and be capable of performing audio and/or video processing. The electronic components of the smart accessory are powered by the portable communication device. A battery powered accessory comprises an accessory with electronic components (e.g., a touch screen, a camera, and/or a wireless transceiver) in addition to an audio component, a processor and a data bus. The battery powered accessory may have all the features of a smart accessory or may be a collaborative device that can operate in a stand-alone fashion.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.